endangered speciesNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Stories and features from the KUOW newsroom.NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94endangered speciesFri, 28 Apr 2017 20:33:59 +0000endangered specieshttp://kuow.org
Courtney FlattTheres good news for the West's imperiled greater sage grouse. New research suggests the bird has a better chance of survival when juniper trees are removed from its habitat. The chicken-sized sage grouse's decline has happened over the same stretch of time that's seen western juniper and pinyon pine trees spread out across the bird's sagebrush ecosystem. Reasons for the trees' expansion include fire suppression, overgrazing and changing climate conditions. As the stands grow more dense, they outcompete sagebrush. They also serve as perches for birds of prey. Thats bad for the greater sage grouse . These trees are one of the problems with the birds habitat. A new study out of Oregon State University found when you cut down encroaching conifer trees the sage grouse population grows by 25 percent. We are tremendously excited, said study co-author Christian Hagen, an avian ecologist at Oregon State University. The arrow is pointing in the right direction. The grouse are finding theseKill A Juniper Tree, Save A Sage Grousehttp://kuow.org/post/kill-juniper-tree-save-sage-grouse
103469 as http://kuow.orgThu, 27 Apr 2017 22:27:00 +0000Kill A Juniper Tree, Save A Sage GrouseJohn RyanIf one thing is clear from Wilbur Ross's financial disclosure forms, it's that the billionaire nominee for Secretary of Commerce lives in a world most Americans can only fantasize about.Trump's billionaire pick for commerce, oceans chief is keeping his oil tankershttp://kuow.org/post/trumps-billionaire-pick-commerce-oceans-chief-keeping-his-oil-tankers
98996 as http://kuow.orgWed, 22 Feb 2017 11:05:58 +0000Trump's billionaire pick for commerce, oceans chief is keeping his oil tankersEmily SchwingBill In Washington's State House Aims To Delist Gray Wolfhttp://kuow.org/post/bill-washingtons-state-house-aims-delist-gray-wolf
98610 as http://kuow.orgThu, 16 Feb 2017 00:23:00 +0000Bill In Washington's State House Aims To Delist Gray WolfMerrit KennedyThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the rusty patched bumblebee an endangered species — the first such designation for a bumblebee and for a bee species in the continental U.S. The protected status, which goes into effect on Feb. 10, includes requirements for federal protections and the development of a recovery plan. It also means that states with habitats for this species are eligible for federal funds. "Today's Endangered Species listing is the best—and probably last—hope for the recovery of the rusty patched bumble bee," NRDC Senior Attorney Rebecca Riley said in a statement from the Xerces Society, which advocates for invertebrates. "Bumble bees are dying off, vanishing from our farms, gardens, and parks, where they were once found in great numbers." Large parts of the Eastern and Midwestern United States were once crawling with these bees, Bombus affinis, but the bees have suffered a dramatic decline in the last two decades due to habitat loss and degradation, alongU.S. Puts Bumblebee On The Endangered Species List For 1st Timehttp://kuow.org/post/us-puts-first-bumblebee-endangered-species-list
96099 as http://kuow.orgWed, 11 Jan 2017 22:21:00 +0000U.S. Puts Bumblebee On The Endangered Species List For 1st TimeKatie CampbellBiologist Adrian Wolf searches the ground for something camouflaged in the dry prairie grass. Then he spots it: a baby streaked horned lark. Wolfs hands tremble as he puts a tiny silver identification band on its leg. I have an endangered species little life in my hand, he says, and then places the bird back in its nest. Only about 2,000 streaked horned larks are left on the planet. Wolf is trying to prevent the native Northwest songbirds from going extinct. But thats not an easy task considering the dangers nearby. These larks live on the Northwests largest military base, Joint Base Lewis-McChord , just outside Tacoma. A few miles from the baby birds nest, Army Lt. Col. J.D. Williams is training his battalion of soldiers to fire heavy artillery. WATCH: Battle Ready - The Digital Documentary You cant just show up to remote locations and expect to know what youre doing, says Williams, commander of the 37th Field Artillery Regiment 1st Battalion. Firing heavy artillery takes a battery ofMore Than A Lark: The Military’s Surprising Role In Protecting Endangered Specieshttp://kuow.org/post/more-lark-military-s-surprising-role-protecting-endangered-species
93425 as http://kuow.orgWed, 14 Dec 2016 20:02:00 +0000More Than A Lark: The Military’s Surprising Role In Protecting Endangered SpeciesMerrit KennedyFinally — some good news for the bees of Hawaii. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has given endangered status to seven species of yellow-faced bees native to the islands. These are "the first bees in the country to be protected under the Endangered Species Act," according to the Xerces Society , which advocated for the new designation. The new rule designating protections for the bees, published Friday in the Federal Register , states that yellow-faced bees are known "for their yellow-to-white facial markings." They look like small wasps, according to the rule, except for their "plumose [branched] hairs on the body that are longest on the sides of the thorax, which readily distinguish them from wasps." The yellow-faced bee is the only bee native to Hawaii, meaning that it was able to reach the Hawaiian Islands on its own, according to a fact sheet provided by the University of Hawaii's Master Gardner Program. "From that one original colonist they evolved into 63 known endemic speciesBees Added To U.S. Endangered Species List For 1st Timehttp://kuow.org/post/bees-added-us-endangered-species-list-1st-time
89602 as http://kuow.orgMon, 03 Oct 2016 17:59:00 +0000Bees Added To U.S. Endangered Species List For 1st TimeNell GreenfieldboyceMost populations of humpback whales no longer need endangered species protections, according to a decision by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The U.S. government listed all humpback whales as endangered back in 1970, after commercial whaling had drastically reduced their numbers. But now, officials say they have divided humpback whales into 14 distinct populations. And after a scientific review, they say that nine of those populations have recovered enough that they no longer need to be considered endangered. "We believe that we have conducted a very thorough scientific assessment," says Angela Somma , chief of the endangered species division at the agency, also known as NOAA Fisheries. "Most of the humpback populations have increased and increased substantially from where they were." Whales that are still considered endangered include populations in Central America, off northwest Africa, in the Arabian Sea and in the western north Pacific. And a population near Mexico is listedMost Humpback Whales Taken Off Endangered Species Listhttp://kuow.org/post/most-humpback-whales-taken-endangered-species-list
87836 as http://kuow.orgWed, 07 Sep 2016 16:59:00 +0000Most Humpback Whales Taken Off Endangered Species ListLisa BrooksNationally associated as an emblem of authority and statehood, bald eagles are "sensitive." At least that’s how they’re classified by the Washington State Wildlife Commission. But there's power in numbers -- and their population continues to grow.Washington's soaring bald eagle population enough to get them off state's endangered listhttp://kuow.org/post/washingtons-soaring-bald-eagle-population-enough-get-them-states-endangered-list
83722 as http://kuow.orgThu, 14 Jul 2016 19:51:35 +0000Washington's soaring bald eagle population enough to get them off state's endangered listDana FarringtonSouth Africa will allow domestic trade of rhino horns again, after a seven-year ban. International trade of the horns is still barred. The Supreme Court of Appeal rejected the government's bid to keep the domestic moratorium in place, National Geographic reports . South Africa is "home to the world's largest rhino population, and nearly all of the world's 20,000 white rhinos," National Geographic adds. Rhino horns grow back after being cut off, so advocates of lifting the trade ban say rhinos could be raised on private farms where their horns would be taken off periodically after tranquilization, as NPR has reported . Conservationists say ending the ban would lift the stigma of the trade and ultimately raise demand. The number of rhinos killed for their horns has been on the rise , though National Geographic reported a slight decrease in poaching in 2015. "Last year, 1,175 rhinos were poached — 40 fewer than in 2014 but still significantly higher than the 13 killed in 2007," the mediaRhino-Horn Trade OK'd By South African Court, Lifting Domestic Banhttp://kuow.org/post/rhino-horn-trade-okd-south-african-court-lifting-domestic-ban
79929 as http://kuow.orgMon, 23 May 2016 22:20:00 +0000Rhino-Horn Trade OK'd By South African Court, Lifting Domestic BanPaige BrowningOn Monday federal officials defined the critical habitat for a rare Northwest creature: the Oregon spotted frog. That designation is required since the frog was listed as threatened in 2014. You'd be lucky to see or hear this frog.'Frog of great importance' has new critical habitat in Washingtonhttp://kuow.org/post/frog-great-importance-has-new-critical-habitat-washington
78836 as http://kuow.orgTue, 10 May 2016 00:39:13 +0000'Frog of great importance' has new critical habitat in WashingtonPaige BrowningA weasel-like creature that lives in northwest forests will remain unprotected. Thursday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it won't list the fisher as an endangered species. That decision could affect the animal's population across the west.Furry Forest Creature Won't Get Federal Protectionshttp://kuow.org/post/furry-forest-creature-wont-get-federal-protections
76785 as http://kuow.orgFri, 15 Apr 2016 00:12:56 +0000Furry Forest Creature Won't Get Federal ProtectionsJes BurnsWolf advocates are watching to see if Gov. Kate Brown will sign legislation they say slams the door on legal challenges to Oregons lifting of endangered-species protections for the gray wolf. Brown said on Thursday that her office will review the legislation before making a decision. On a bipartisan vote of 17-11 Wednesday, the state senate ratified a decision state wildlife regulators made last November to remove the gray wolf from the Oregon Endangered Species List. Amaroq Weiss with the Center for Biological Diversity said if the governor signs, judges will be less inclined to proceed with a lawsuit filed by her group and others, including Cascadia Wildlands, challenging the original decision. By stepping in this way, the legislature has thumbed its nose at the state constitution. Its thumbed its nose at science. And its thumbed its nose at the enormous public support for wolves, she said. Weiss said they are challenging the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission decision based on itsWolf Advocates Look For Oregon Governor’s Decision On Delisting Billhttp://kuow.org/post/wolf-advocates-look-oregon-governor-s-decision-delisting-bill
74041 as http://kuow.orgFri, 04 Mar 2016 00:45:47 +0000Wolf Advocates Look For Oregon Governor’s Decision On Delisting BilleditorTwo men have been arrested in Portland on charges of smuggling wildlife into the U.S. after allegedly using an online business to ship orangutan skulls and other endangered wildlife parts through the mail. Federal agents arrested Eoin Ling Churn Yeng, 35, and Galvin Yeo Siang Ann, 33, on Friday afternoon when they arrived to meet with a business associate. Both men were identified as Malaysian nationals. The two men allegedly co-owned an online business that regularly smuggled endangered wildlife into the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Justice. According to authorities, agents bought three orangutan skulls, five hornbill bird skulls, skulls from a langur monkey and wild pig known as a babirusa, as well as the rib a of a marine mammal called a Dugong. U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents also reviewed records indicating Ling and Yeo sold other wildlife items in the U.S. The charges of illegally importing wildlife carry a maximum penalty 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine2 Men Charged In Portland With Smuggling Endangered Wildlifehttp://kuow.org/post/2-men-charged-portland-smuggling-endangered-wildlife
68777 as http://kuow.orgTue, 08 Dec 2015 16:15:41 +00002 Men Charged In Portland With Smuggling Endangered WildlifeTony SchickOregon's Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Monday to remove wolves from the state's list of endangered species. The decision changes little in the short term for Oregons known population of 81 gray wolves. A state management plan would continue to permit killing wolves only if they're caught in the act of attacking or involved in repeated livestock damage. The vote followed a day-long public hearing that kept the commission in session until early evening. It clears the way for a decision in the future to allow controlled wolf hunts, should the predators population continue to grow. Wolf hunting would be allowed for wolves that chronically attack livestock or deer and elk populations. Special permits would be required for those who take part in such hunts. Such a scenario is years away, however, when Oregon has seven breeding pairs for three consecutive years. The commission considered removing endangered-species status for wolves only in the eastern portion of the state, where most ofOregon Wildlife Commissioners Drop Wolves' Endangered Statushttp://kuow.org/post/oregon-wildlife-commissioners-drop-wolves-endangered-status
67078 as http://kuow.orgTue, 10 Nov 2015 18:57:46 +0000Oregon Wildlife Commissioners Drop Wolves' Endangered StatusTom BanseCommercial imports of elephant ivory have been banned by federal and international law for decades. But now wildlife activists are pressing West Coast states to pass their own laws to deter the poaching of elephants and rhinos.What's Poaching In Africa Got To Do With Western U.S. States?http://kuow.org/post/whats-poaching-africa-got-do-western-us-states
65019 as http://kuow.orgWed, 07 Oct 2015 23:22:54 +0000What's Poaching In Africa Got To Do With Western U.S. States?Amanda Peacher, with AP contributingThe U.S. Interior Department says the greater sage grouse does not need federal protections across its 11-state western range. The long-awaited decision affects millions of acres across the Western states. Today Im proud to mark a milestone for conservation in America, because of an unprecedented effort by dozens of partners in 11 western states, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the greater sage grouse does not require protection under the Endangered Species Act, said Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service. She announced the decision through an online video ahead of an appearance at a wildlife refuge in Colorado. The announcement signals that the Obama administration believes it has struck a balance to save the widespread, ground-dwelling birds from extinction without crippling the West's economy. Federal protections could have brought more sweeping restrictions on oil and gas drilling, grazing and other human activities fromUS Rejects Protections For Greater Sage Grouse http://kuow.org/post/us-rejects-protections-greater-sage-grouse
63995 as http://kuow.orgTue, 22 Sep 2015 23:25:49 +0000US Rejects Protections For Greater Sage Grouse Courtney FlattThe plight of greater sage grouse is at the top of mind for ranchers, conservationists and politicians across the West so much so that one ranch in southeastern Oregon has put a wildlife biologist on its payroll. Andrew Shields roams the Roaring Springs Ranch in Harney County every day, monitoring the progress of the imperiled bird. I see more wildlife species than people, and I dont think many folks can say that wildlife biologist or not, Shields said. One recent day, he turned his dusty pickup truck down a bumpy dirt road. Cows stared as he slowly drove by. Shields stopped his truck next to a green wetland fed by the Roaring Springs Creek. For sage grouse and other wildlife seeking out protein-rich vegetation, the wetland is an oasis in an otherwise arid landscape. Shields had followed a radio-collared female sage grouse here. The ranch has nine active and two abandoned sage grouse breeding grounds, known as leks. The first or second week of July she came back to this spot. This isCan Ranchers Use Conservation To Keep Sage Grouse Off The Endangered Species List?http://kuow.org/post/can-ranchers-use-conservation-keep-sage-grouse-endangered-species-list
60502 as http://kuow.orgTue, 28 Jul 2015 23:11:35 +0000Can Ranchers Use Conservation To Keep Sage Grouse Off The Endangered Species List?Bill ChappellA Texas hunter who paid $350,000 for the right to hunt a rare black rhino in Namibia has killed the animal. The hunt has drawn controversy and spurred debate over the best way to manage endangered wildlife. Corey Knowlton won an auction last January for a hunting permit that would allow him to kill a black rhino weighing around 3,000 pounds. "There are only an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 black rhinos living in the wild," Mark Memmott wrote for the Two-Way last year. "Namibian authorities issue five kill permits per year." The permit came from Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism. Each year it targets several older rhinos that are no longer able to breed but still pose a deadly threat to younger males. The proceeds are meant to go toward anti-poaching and conservation efforts. Namibia is facing a surge in poaching — last week, the country's New Era newspaper said that 60 rhinos have been poached so far in 2015, leading Namibia's environmental ministry to double its reward forRare Black Rhino Killed By U.S. Hunter Who Won Controversial Auctionhttp://kuow.org/post/rare-black-rhino-killed-us-hunter-who-won-controversial-auction
56177 as http://kuow.orgWed, 20 May 2015 15:10:00 +0000Rare Black Rhino Killed By U.S. Hunter Who Won Controversial AuctioneditorFeb. 17, 2015 is a happy day for biologists Brian Bangs and Paul Sheerer. Today the Oregon chub, a tiny minnow that exists only in the Willamette Valley, is the first fish species to be officially taken off the endangered species list. Never heard of it? The Oregon chub is kind of an underdog. Not very many people know what they are. Actually, a lot of biologists dont know what they are, says Sheerer, who works for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. They only grow to be about three inches long. Sheerers been dedicated to saving the humble minnow since it was listed in 1993, virtually his entire career. When he began, there were only about 1,000 individual chub left, anywhere. Likely, there were millions here historically, Sheerer says. When the wide flood plain that characterized the Willamette Valley 150 years ago was tamed by upstream dams and drained for agriculture, chub habitat dried up with it. In 2005, Brian Bangs joined his ODFW colleague Sheerer and their small teamTiny Oregon Fish Is The First To Get Away From Endangered Species List http://kuow.org/post/tiny-oregon-fish-first-get-away-endangered-species-list
50378 as http://kuow.orgTue, 17 Feb 2015 15:08:20 +0000Tiny Oregon Fish Is The First To Get Away From Endangered Species List Cassandra Profita Officials say a tiny, unsung fish that lives only in Oregon's Willamette Valley is the first endangered fish in the U.S. to be recovered. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is planning to announce Tuesday its petition to remove Oregon chub from the Endangered Species List and touting the success story of a minnow that's no more than three inches long. Other fish have made it off the endangered species list -– but not because their numbers rebounded. In many cases, it was because they went extinct. Oregon chub are a different story. Their numbers have grown from less than a thousand when they were listed as endangered in 1993 to 160,000 today. In the last 20 years, the known chub populations dotting the Willamette Valley has grown from eight to 80. It was a combination of invasive predators and a loss of habitat in the Willamette Valley that pushed Oregon chub to the brink of extinction, according to biologists. Reintroducing the fish into predator-free ponds and allowing more waterOregon Minnow Is The First Fish Recovered From Endangered Species Listhttp://kuow.org/post/oregon-minnow-first-fish-recovered-endangered-species-list
28831 as http://kuow.orgThu, 08 Jan 2015 20:56:45 +0000Oregon Minnow Is The First Fish Recovered From Endangered Species List